Making the most of the European Citizens’ Initiative: ECI Day 2023 focuses on skills, outlines do’s and don’ts for achieving real impact on EU policy-making

In the European Year of Skills, the European Citizens’ Initiative Day, traditionally hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), provided practical tips and advice on key elements of launching and running a successful European citizens’ initiative to hundreds of participants live in Brussels and online across the EU. Workshops with ECI organisers and experts focused on handling the legal challenges of turning a policy idea into a European citizens’ initiative proposal, using influencers and external multipliers to boost campaign outreach, using the 2024 European Parliament elections to attract public attention to ongoing and new Initiatives and providing young people with the skills and learning materials needed to successfully use participatory democracy tools such as the ECI. 

• Watch the 2023 ECI Day sessions and workshops here
• Get help with your Initiative idea
• Learn how to draft and submit an Initiative
• Tips and tricks on successful campaigning

In 2023, the European Commission registered the 100th European citizens’ initiative and answered the seventh successful ECI. The impressive number of registered initiatives and the quickly growing number of initiatives submitted for the Commission's examination (4 since October 2022) gave the speakers opening the ECI Day an opportunity to reflect on the importance of active citizen engagement and participatory democracy in the EU.

European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, leading the Commission’s work on Values and Transparency, opened the ECI Day by confirming the Commission’s commitment to further improving the implementation of the rules of the European Citizens’ Initiative and invited input to the upcoming implementation report; and underlined that the Commission will ensure that ECI organisers have a Commission representative available for active consultations throughout the entire examination process.

"I think that the process can be successful when there is an intense and useful interaction between the organisers and the Commission."

 European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova ©EU 2023 – source: EESC

“Active citizens are the main pillars of our democratic system. I do not agree with those who say that citizens should be active only once in four years, only to cast their vote. I think that having permanently engaged and active citizens is of big value and is a treasure we have in our European Member States.”

Speaking at the opening, EESC President Oliver Röpke pointed out that the Committee will continue to play its role as facilitator and guarantor of participatory democracy. President Röpke also expressed a commitment to help further enhance the visibility and role of European Citizens’ Initiative as a participatory tool.

Oliver Röpke, president of the European Economic and Social Committee ©EU 2023 – source: EESC

"Participatory democracy is not only complementary to representative democracy, but it is a fundamental element of it."

Rudiger Boogert, European Commission Secretariat General ©EU 2023 – source: EESC

Speaking at the opening of the ECI Day Rudiger Boogert, Head of Unit Policy Priorities and Work Programme at the European Commission’s Secretariat General, highlighted the positive trends since the reform of the rules of the European Citizens’ Initiative in 2020. He noted the fact that of the 31 initiatives that have asked to start collecting signatures under the new rules only one was refused, because it requested a change in the Treaties, which falls outside of the Commission’s competencies. “One out 31 that means a success rate of over 95 percent”, Mr. Boogert noted.

"I would say to those that want to run a European citizens’ initiative: first of all, do realize that you can run a successful campaign."

He continued by pointing out that since 2020 five more initiatives have passed the finish line, successfully collecting over 1 million signatures; and that a sixth initiative is expected to join the successful group soon.

Mr. Boogert quoted results of surveys with ECI practitioners showing that three out of four initiative organisers think the new rules are “mostly” or “very effective” and straightforward to use. Moreover, users of the Central online collection system in a very large majority – 93% - say that the system is easy or very easy to use.

Rudiger Boogert also underlined the need for organisers to prepare well, and use all the existing support tools that could help them launch and run a successful ECI.

"I would in particular recommend to use the help of the ECI Forum, the multilingual website which gets very positive feedback from its users since it was introduced, and is run by the European Citizen Action Service."

Mr. Boogert also addressed the question of the additional benefits that running an ECI brings even to the organisers who do not manage to reach the 1 million signature threshold.

"Whatever happens, don't get discouraged, but also reflect on what a year of campaigning has brought you."

He pointed out that organisers consider the personal and professional development that results from running an ECI as a big plus, much like the creation of a network of like-minded partners that can lead to longer-term cooperation. As well as the awareness and the public debate that the topic of the ECI creates on regional, local, national, and European level and therefore the impact it has had. 

Assya Kavrakova, Director of European Citizen Action Service ©EU 2023 – source: EESC

Speaking at the opening of the ECI Day, ECAS Director Assya Kavrakova looked back at the one hundred registered initiatives and noted that 60% of them fall into three main focus areas:

• environment and climate;
• social rights and employment rights - social security, right of access to health, and consumer rights;
• democracy, justice and fundamental rights.

"Now that we already have the Citizens’ Panels as a regular instrument after the Conference of the Future of Europe, it may make sense for the Commission to organise panels in those three areas, and to listen to the citizens and understand more about what citizens need and want."

Assya Kavrakova also commented on the fact that citizens are often launching initiatives in areas where EU legislation already exists. According to her, the reason for that is that the implementation of those rules is not visible at the national level or that the European rules are not being implemented.  

"As the guardian of the Treaties, the Commission should look into those three top areas, make a screening and see how the implementation is going on."

Assya Kavrakova also touched upon the subject of engaging young citizens, noting its primary importance.

"It has been estimated that in the upcoming European elections next year we will have 270 000 more youngsters above the age of 16 who will vote. Those young citizens can also initiate and can sign European citizens’ initiatives. They need to know how."

Read more about young Europeans and the European Citizens’ Initiative:

New book for students on ECI

Educational toolkit on the ECI for secondary schools

The students behind EcoScore: You can have an impact even if you do not reach 1 million signatures

To all potential organisers out there: Go for it, because it's really worth it and you can learn a lot!

Webinar “Discovering the European Citizens' Initiative”